Threequel (film term)

In movie-making parlance, a threequel is a sequel to a sequel, the third in a series of similarly-themed films that feature one or more of the same characters. While a sequel, such as The Miniver Story, Father's Little Dividend, or Return to Peyton Place, often continues the storyline initiated in the first film, a threequel usually has a plot that has no bearing on that of the original movie.

Although the term is contemporary, the concept of a threequel dates back to the 1930s with such releases as Another Thin Man, in which William Powell and Myrna Loy reprised their roles of Dashiel Hammett's debonair detectives Nick and Nora Charles for the third time, and Nancy Drew: Trouble Shooter, featuring Bonita Granville's third appearance as the teenaged detective polularized in a series of mystery books that began publication in 1930.

Six threequels competed for box office revenue in Summer 2007: Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Ocean's Thirteen, Rush Hour 3, and The Bourne Ultimatum. The latter, which set a record for the best August opening weekend ever, was the only one to out-gross its predecessors.

Additional threequels

• The Invisible Woman (1940)
• Gidget Goes to Rome (1963)
• Goldfinger (1964)
• Inspector Clouseau (1968)
• Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
• The Enforcer (1976)
• Airport '77 (1977)
• Rocky III (1982)
• Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)
• Superman III (1983)
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983 threequel of the original trilogy)
• Jaws 3-D (1983)
• Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983)
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
• The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
• Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
• Death Wish 3 (1985)
• Psycho III (1986)
• Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
• Rambo III (1988)
• Poltergeist III (1988)
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
• The Karate Kid, Part III (1989)
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
• Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)
• The Godfather Part III (1990)
• The Exorcist III (1990)
• Back to the Future Part III (1990)
• Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
• Alien³ (1992)
• RoboCop 3 (1993)
• Look Who's Talking Now (1993)
• Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
• Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)
• Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
• Batman Forever (1995)
• Scream 3 (2000)
• Jurassic Park III (2001)
• Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001)
• Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
• American Wedding (2003)
• Blade: Trinity (2004)
• Mission: Impossible III (2006)
• Saw III (2006)
• The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
• X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Reference

"Showdowns of Summer," Entertainment Weekly, September 7, 2007